Airport authorities placed an advert in newspapers earlier this week calling for the owner of the aircraft to come forward.

But Swift Air Cargo, a Malaysian firm, says it has been trying to retrieve the aircraft for months - but authorities dispute its paperwork.

The Malaysia Airports ad in The Star Photo: The Star

It added that the 747s hadn't been abandoned, but kept there while it had been meeting with Malaysia Airports (MAHB), the company managing the country’s airports, on a “consistent basis” to present further documentation of its ownership status.

The first meeting with MAHB, which took place on June 17 this year, was followed by several subsequent meetings to provide supporting documents, “all of which clearly state that Swift is the owner of all (3) B747s,” the cargo company said in a statement.

The last meeting, at which both the chief operating officer and general manager of MAHB were said to have been present, took place on October 12. Since then, Swift and MAHB had been communicating in writing.

Blue Peterson, Swift’s chief executive officer, claimed MAHB refused to allow him access to the planes, saying they need to see the registration paperwork for the aircraft before allowing him near them.

A view of a flight control tower at Kuala Lumpur Airport Photo: Fotolia/AP

“But the planes have yet to be registered as they must first undergo maintenance checks. And I can't even go on the property to look at my own planes," he told the BBC.

MAHB has yet to respond to Swift’s claims, but its managing director, Badlisham Ghazali, told reporters on Thursday that MAHB had identified several owners but it was “difficult to trace them”, the BBC reports.

MAHB continues to warn the aircraft will be auctioned or destroyed if they are not claimed by December 21.

The three Boeing planes had been sold to Swift on June 8 and the supporting documents of the sale were signed by Swift and various other parties, including Syed Amir Ibrahim of Syed Ibrahim & Co., the solicitors for the city of Kuala Lumpur, and other officials on behalf of the previous owners in Hong Kong, according to the statement by Swift.